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-
-Information about osboot can be found at <https://osboot.org/>
-This is the *libre* version of osboot, so it only has support for hardware that
-can boot without any binary blobs in the ROM image.
-
-This branch of osboot is basically pointless. It was created to then be forked
-and adapted for a new Libreboot release.
-
-Free your BIOS today! GNU GPL style
-===================================
-
-osboot is
-[freedom-respecting](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html)
-*boot firmware* that initializes the hardware (e.g.
-memory controller, CPU, peripherals) in your computer so that software can run.
-osboot then starts a bootloader to load your operating system. It replaces the
-proprietary BIOS/UEFI firmware typically found on a computer. osboot is
-compatible with [specific computer models that use the Intel/AMD x86
-architecture](docs/hardware/). osboot works well with GNU+Linux and BSD
-operating systems. User support is available
-at [\#osboot](https://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=osboot) on Freenode
-IRC.
-
-osboot is a *Free Software* project, but can be considered Open Source.
-[The GNU website](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.en.html)
-teaches why you should call it Free Software instead; alternatively, you may
-call it libre software.
-
-osboot uses [coreboot](https://www.coreboot.org/) for hardware initialization.
-However, *coreboot* is notoriously difficult to compile and install for most
-non-technical users. There are many complicated configuration steps required,
-and coreboot by itself is useless; coreboot only handles basic hardware
-initialization, and then jumps to a separate *payload* program. The payload
-program can be anything, for example a Linux kernel, bootloader (such as
-GNU GRUB), UEFI implementation (such as Tianocore) or BIOS implementation
-(such as SeaBIOS). While not quite as complicated as building a GNU+Linux
-distribution from scratch, it may aswell be as far as most non-technical users
-are concerned.
-
-osboot solves this problem in a novel way:
-osboot is a *coreboot distribution* much like Debian is a *GNU+Linux
-distribution*. osboot provides an *automated build system* that downloads,
-patches (where necessary) and compiles coreboot, GNU GRUB, various payloads and
-all other software components needed to build a complete, working *ROM image*
-that you can install to replace your current BIOS/UEFI firmware, much like a
-GNU+Linux distribution (e.g. Debian) provides an ISO image that you can use to
-replace your current operating system (e.g. Windows).
-
-Information about who works on osboot, and who runs the project, can be
-found on the [who.md](who.md) page.
-
-Why use osboot?
-==================
-
-[Free software](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html) is important for
-the same reason that education is important.
-All children and adults alike should be entitled to a good education.
-Knowledge begs to be free! In the context of computing, this means that the
-source code should be fully available to study, and use in whatever way you
-see fit. In the context of computer hardware, this means that
-[Right to Repair](https://yewtu.be/watch?v=Npd_xDuNi9k)
-should be universal, with full access to documents such as the schematics and
-boardview files.
-
-**[The four freedoms are paramount!](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html)**
-
-You have rights. The right to privacy, freedom of thought, freedom
-of speech and the right to read. In the context of computing, that means anyone
-can use [free software](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html). Simply
-speaking, free software is software that is under the direct sovereignty of the
-user and, more importantly, the collective that is the *community*. osboot
-is dedicated to the Free Software community, with the aim of making free software
-at a *low level* more accessible to non-technical people.
-
-Many people use [proprietary](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/proprietary.html)
-boot firmware, even if they use GNU+Linux. Non-free boot firmware often
-contains backdoors, can be slow and have severe bugs. Development and support
-can be abandoned at any time. By contrast, osboot is a free software project,
-where anyone can contribute or inspect its code.
-
-osboot is faster, more secure and more reliable than most non-free
-firmware. osboot provides many advanced features, like encrypted
-/boot/, GPG signature checking before booting a Linux kernel and more!
-osboot gives *you* control over *your* computing.
-
-Project goals
--------------
-
-- *Recommend and distribute only free software*. Coreboot
- distributes certain pieces of proprietary software which is needed
- on some systems. Examples can include things like CPU microcode
- updates, memory initialization blobs and so on. The coreboot project
- sometimes recommends adding more blobs which it does not distribute,
- such as the Video BIOS or Intel's *Management Engine*. However, a
- lot of dedicated and talented individuals in coreboot work hard to
- replace these blobs whenever possible.
-- *Support as much hardware as possible!* osboot supports less
- hardware than coreboot, because most systems from coreboot still
- require certain proprietary software to work properly. osboot is
- an attempt to support as much hardware as possible, without any
- proprietary software.
-- *Make coreboot easy to use*. Coreboot is notoriously difficult
- to install, due to an overall lack of user-focused documentation
- and support. Most people will simply give up before attempting to
- install coreboot.
-
-osboot attempts to bridge this divide by providing a build system
-automating much of the coreboot image creation and customization.
-Secondly, the project produces documentation aimed at non-technical users.
-Thirdly, the project attempts to provide excellent user support via mailing
-lists and IRC.
-
-osboot already comes with a payload (GRUB), flashrom and other
-needed parts. Everything is fully integrated, in a way where most of
-the complicated steps that are otherwise required, are instead done
-for the user in advance.
-
-You can download ROM images for your osboot system and install
-them without having to build anything from source. If, however, you are
-interested in building your own image, the build system makes it relatively
-easy to do so.
-
-Not a coreboot fork!
---------------------
-
-osboot is not a fork of coreboot. Every so often, the project
-re-bases on the latest version of coreboot, with the number of custom
-patches in use minimized. Tested, *stable* (static) releases are then provided
-in osboot, based on specific coreboot revisions.
-
-Coreboot is not entirely free software. It has binary blobs in it for some
-platforms. What osboot does is download several revisions of coreboot, for
-different boards, and *de-blob* those coreboot revisions. This is done using
-the *linux-libre* deblob scripts, to find binary blobs in coreboot.
-
-All new coreboot development should be done in coreboot (upstream), not
-osboot! osboot is about deblobbing and packaging coreboot in a
-user-friendly way, where most work is already done for the user.
-
-For example, if you wanted to add a new board to osboot, you should
-add it to coreboot first. osboot will automatically receive your code
-at a later date, when it updates itself.
-
-The deblobbed coreboot tree used in osboot is referred to as
-*coreboot-libre*, to distinguish it as a component of *osboot*.
-
-A coreboot *fork* is planned for the future. Nowadays, coreboot drops support
-for boards that are "unmaintained", which in some cases just means that nobody
-submitted a new status update (to the *board-status* repository), so nowadays
-osboot must maintain multiple versions of coreboot. This is unsustainable,
-so a fork is planned, re-adding all of the deleted boards, backporting newer
-coreboot features and, possibly, having support for those boards re-merged
-upstream, where coreboot and the fork will share code back and forth. As of
-27 April 2021, work on this fork has not yet begun.
-
-